The present invention relates generally to lawn mowers, and particularly relates to barriers configured to be put in front of, to the rear of, or similarly adjacent to a lawn mower cutting deck, and interaction of said barriers with cutting or other operating processes of the lawn mower through electric or mechanical means.
Lawn mowers are well known in the art. Improvements to same are always in demand, while at the same time understanding that costs provide practical limitations.
The present invention relates to barriers that provide sensing and response to objects too close to a grass cutting deck or another portion of the lawn cutting apparatus.
Generally described, the present invention relates to a control apparatus for use with a lawn mower for cutting grass or other vegetation, the lawn mower configured for traveling in a forward and a rearward direction and including a cutting blade and a cutting blade housing partially enclosing the cutting blade, the cutting blade having controls for enabling and disabling cutting, the control apparatus comprising a front barrier member movably attached to the cutting blade housing and configured to move from a set to a tripped position upon contact with an external object when the lawn mower is traveling in the forward direction, a rear barrier member movably attached to the cutting blade housing and configured to move from a set to a tripped position upon contact with an external object when the lawn mower is traveling in the rearward direction, a front barrier linkage having first and second ends, the first end being operably attached to the front barrier member, a rear barrier linkage having first and second ends, the first end being operably attached to the rear barrier member, a barrier synchronizing member operably associated with the front and rear barriers such that the front and rear barrier members move together as a barrier combination such that when the front barrier member moves from the set to the tripped position, the rear barrier member moves from the set to the tripped position, and the barrier synchronizing member being operably assocated with the controls for the cutting member such that movement of the front and rear barrier members from their the set positions to their the tripped positions causes the cutting member to be disabled. In an alternate version a drive wheel can be disabled.
The present invention also is directed towards a supplemental overriding control apparatus for use with a lawn mower for cutting grass or other vegetation, the lawn mower including an automatic disabling system including a first control having an engaged and a disengaged position for respectively engaging and disengaging the operating function, the first control being biased towards the disengaged position by a first control bias member, and a second control for selectively maintaining the first control in the engaged position against the first control bias member, the supplemental overriding control device comprising, a barrier member being movably attached relative to the lawn mower from a set position to a tripped position, the movement configured to be caused upon contact between the barrier member and a foreign object external and separate from the lawn mower while the lawn mower is moving, and a linkage device operably associate with both the barrier member and the second control, the linkage device configured to override the second control upon movement of the barrier member from the set position to the tripped position, such that the second control is overridden and the second control releases the first control from the set position, allowing the first control bias member to cause the first control to move from the engaged position to the disengaged position.
The invention is also directed towards a method for controlling a lawn mower, the lawn mower including a wheel drive control for controlling the operation of a drive wheel of the lawn mower, the lawn mower also including a cutting blade drive control for controlling the operation of a cutting blade of the lawn mower, the lawn mower also including an external object contacting device which upon contact with an external object causes the wheel drive to be disabled, the lawn mower also including a button for operating a control itself operably associated with the wheel drive control, the method comprising the steps of A) operating the lawn mower such that the external object contacting device contacts an external object and causes the wheel drive to be disabled, B) disengaging the wheel drive control, C) pushing and holding the button, and D) engaging the wheel drive control while the button is held so that the lawn mower may be operated to move to a different location such that the external object is not in contact with the external object contacting device.
The present invention is also directed towards a method for controlling a lawn mower, the lawn mower including a wheel drive control for controlling the operation of a drive wheel of the lawn mower, the lawn mower also including a cutting blade drive control for controlling the operation of a cutting blade of the lawn mower, the lawn mower also including an external object contacting device which upon contact with an external object causes the wheel drive and the cutting drive to be disabled, the method comprising the steps of A) operating the lawn mower such that the external object contacting device contacts an external object and causes the wheel drive and the cutting blade drive to be disabled, B) disengaging the wheel drive control, C) disengaging the cutting blade drive control., D) engaging the wheel drive control while the cutting blade drive control is disengaged so that the lawn mower may be operated to move to a different location such that the external object is not in contact with the external object contacting device, and E) engaging the cutting blade drive control.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration which provides for the stopping of a blade when a foreign object is contacted.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration which provides for the stopping of an engine when a foreign object is contacted.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration which provides for the stopping of a blade and engine when a foreign object is contacted.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration which includes trippable barriers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration which includes trippable barriers which provides for the stopping of a blade and engine when a foreign object is contacted.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration which includes linked trippable barriers which provides for the stopping of a blade and engine when a foreign object is contacted by either barrier.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration which includes an ABS system which can be overridden.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration which includes an ABS system which can be overridden when a foreign object is detected or contacted.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration which includes an ABS system which can be overridden when a foreign object is detected or contacted by a barrier member.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration which includes an ABS system which can be overridden when a foreign object is detected or contacted by a barrier member, such overriding causing the stoppage of a cutting blade.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved lawn mower configuration which includes a system which can be overridden when a foreign object is detected or contacted by a barrier member, such overriding causing the stoppage of a drive wheel.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawing and the appended claims.